Chapter Fifty-seven: More and More Together.

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~~~Third person, eleventh moon, 276 AC~~~

~~~Xandar~~~

With the attack on the House of Black and White, the world was reminded of the power of dragons; no matter whether that power did not belong to ancient Valyria or the Targaryen kingdom, what mattered was that the dragons had returned, and the mountain of melted stone where the temple of the faceless men used to stand was an indication. 

The news of one giant dragon and hundreds of smaller ones was already going halfway around the world at lightning speed, even if, at first, bad news was the first to arrive. Now, that saying referred to how the news of the dragons of Xandar was reaching the world. 

While there had been several rumors of dragons in Xandar, the product of the many merchants who visited the city, those rumors had not been credible, no matter how numerous the reports of them were. 

But now, the thousands in Braavos had witnessed such beasts, and as the largest, they destroyed the temple of the Faceless Men with no apparent difficulty. 

If Xandar had previously attracted attention for its enormous wealth and capital city, now the looks were of fear and suspicion, along with many looks of greed and longing. 

As for Azrael, the moment he stepped on the floor of his zoo, he kept his word, ordering twenty million Xandarian gold coins to be transported to Braavos as payment for the problems caused. At the same time, he met with Gabriela, the Minister of Trade, to open trade routes between Braavos and Xandar. 

He also understood that it was the perfect time to conquer lands since many feared Xandar. While many might oppose the conquest, it went without saying that a threat with Endoxes would solve it. 

Thus, Azrael met with the High Council to prepare for invading and conquering territories near Xandar. 

"Currently, the Kingdom of Xandar encompasses the Dothraki Sea, the territories of Vaes Dothrak, the territories belonging to the former yellow slave cities, Old Ghis, the island of New Ghis, and the Basilisk Islands." Sitting in his seat on the High Council, Azrael addressed all the members analyzing maps of the aforementioned territories. 

"My King," Lucios, the Military Minister, intoned. Currently, these territories are huge, and so far, Xandar only has two main cities, Xandar and Port Royale, formerly known as Port Yhos. While many citizens have been founding small towns in the territories that used to be Old Ghis, even the other parts are uninhabited and unprotected as well." 

"I am aware of that, Minister Lucios; while the moment Xandar is going through is one akin to an armistice, where the free cities do not invade our territories, and we remain the same, that will change the moment our armies are mobilized; that is why a wall will soon be built." This caught everyone's attention since, while that would be a good idea, the manpower and time spent on it would be enormous unless Azrael made it himself. 

"Yes," Azrael responded to the uneasiness dwelling in the minds of the High Council members. "I will take care of building the wall myself; with it, it doesn't matter if our territories have no citizens; as long as the wall is guarded, any attack on our sovereignty will be stopped long before it begins." 

This brought many smiles, knowing it would be the best course to take for the time being. 

"Once that is determined, let us focus on making clear the lands where the armies of Xandar will move." 

"One Dothraki legion will be moved to the cities of Tolos, Elyria, and Mantarys; as for the abandoned territories of Sarnor and Bhorash, they will be occupied by two legions in the case of Bhorash, and four will depart for Sarnor." 

"Minister Gabriela, take charge of organizing all the food logistics that this will entail, and Minister Lucios, you choose which legion to send to which part. In addition to this, know that the great Red Desert will belong to Xandar. I will take care of thermoforming it to be safe to inhabit." 

With that last part, Azrael bangs a wooden hammer on his desk, signaling that the session is over. At the same time, he stood up and left to prepare for what he was about to do. 

Once outside the High Council room, he bumped into court members and important people who had come to Xandar for the event that the Academy had organized before the attack of the faceless men. 

"Your Majesty," someone called out to him, and while that would not be enough to make him stop, he knew that voice. Turning around, he found Isabella, who had stayed on Xandar as a representative emissary of Carcosa while her mother had returned to Volantis.

"Can I get you anything, Princess?" Azrael questioned her. While their communication had improved dramatically after he had returned to Xandar, even their relationship had not gone beyond superficial conversations, so to Isabella's disappointment, she had not had a chance to talk about sending aid to her city. 

"Are you going out, Your Majesty?" Isabella questioned back, causing Azrael to raise an eyebrow and say, "Yes, I have responsibilities outside the city." 

Isabella only uttered an "oh" as her face fell slightly. To her, she had been letting her city down since she arrived in Xandar, unable to get the support she would need to bring peace to Carcosa, so her attempts to meet with Azrael had been more vital. 

"I had hoped to have an audience with you, Your Majesty, but I see it will not be possible." 

Azrael was intrigued, and wanting to play a little, he gave Isabella an idea: "I will go to the Great Red Desert; if you wish, you may come with me." 

He expected her to refuse since a princess would not think twice about refusing to go to a place that rivaled hell as the Red Desert was, but he did not know that Isabella's audacity was solid and infinite. "Gladly, Your Majesty, let me and I organize a few things, and I will see you before the trip." 

Azrael was momentarily taken aback, unable to understand how Isabella, a princess of every possible title, would agree to leave with him for a place like the Red Desert, especially since he had not mentioned that the journey would be by a dragon. 

Shrugging his shoulders, he put that topic to the back of his mind while continuing on his way to prepare clothes for his journey. 

Before long, he arrived at the zoo, and the large figure of Endoxes came into view long before he reached his abode. Endoxes rested in a large meadow, the size of a medium-sized stadium, surrounded by high walls with no roof. Allowing him to come and go as he pleased. 

He rested near an artificial cliff, where lava flowed and fell into the cliff. Endoxes slept, with little snores coming out of his strong jaw and breezes of smoke coming out of his nose with every breath he took. It was a beautiful but simultaneously terrifying sight. Although the sight of Endoxes was beautiful and enchanting for Azrael, it would be to see death itself for anyone outside the dragon. 

As he was about to go to Endoxes's place and wake him up, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and observed Isabella walking at a fast pace, carrying a strange leather bag on her back, Which Made Azrael smile. 

Apparently, she knew the journey would not be comfortable. While she didn't know they would be riding on the back of a dragon, she knew the trip from Xandar to the Red Desert would not be short, so the extravagant and luxurious dresses she wore were gone. 

Instead, she wore black pants of what appeared to be boiled leather, with high boots, a long-sleeved shirt, and a woven hat on her head, looking as if she were going on an expedition somewhere, though what surprised Azrael the most was the sword she brought strapped to her waist, wondering if it was for decoration or if she knew how to use it. 

Soon, she arrived beside him, a little anxious at the sight of Endoxes sleeping several meters away from them but not letting fear or fright show her face. Earning another small smile from Azrael. 

"You look good," Azrael told her in a slightly surprised tone, not allowing his true thoughts to come out. "Well, I didn't know what may await us on the journey, so I picked out clothes I thought suitable," Isabella responded meekly, running her palms over her shirt as if brushing away invisible wrinkles. 

"You did well," Azrael agreed, making her follow him as he began to walk toward Endoxes. Being followed closely by a slightly reluctant Isabella. 

Being twelve meters from Endoxes, Azrael asked Isabella to stop, but she obeyed. At the same time, the guards that had accompanied her to the zoo also stopped and watched expectantly, ready to give their lives in case Isabella tried anything against Azrael, which, although difficult, was not impossible. 

[Rytsas requires, nyke hope iksā kreni se añöre (Hello friend, I hope you are satisfied and rested)] Azrael spoke to Endoxes once he was in front of his sight, observing the crushed bones of some animals near the great dragon. 

[Kessa, bona prëzy ābra maghatan nyke sȳz parklon, tolī quba īles toliot tolī adere (Yes, that pretty woman brought me good meat, too bad it was over too quickly)] Endoxes told her a little displeased, making Azrael laugh, being already used to the attention-loving dragon's temper. 

Isabella, all that time, was amazed and delighted to see how a creature of Endoxes' caliber could be so calm and serene in front of Azrael since, for her, that was something new, something she wanted to keep in her memory, which was why she hadn't even woken up. 

"Isabella!" Azrael's shout brought Isabella out of her reverie. She shook her head and looked at Azrael, who seemed to have been calling out to her several times, "Come." 

Azrael called out to her, and Isabella, though hesitant, decided to trust Azrael, with the thought that she was doing all this for her people, and if she would have to face a dragon to accomplish that, she would gladly do it, she just hoped she wouldn't die so young.